Business as usual: Waynesburg rolls to first state playoff win
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Rhea Kijowski, left, celebrates with teammate Kylie Sinn after scoring a goal Tuesday night against Harbor Creek.
Waynesburg’s Madison Clayton is defended Tuesday by Harbor Creek’s Kate Rose.
HARMONY – It’s well understood that the postseason is wildly different than the regular season.
Better competition, more pressure and less-familiar opponents lead to closer games.
For the Waynesburg High School girls soccer team, though, the postseason has been business as usual.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Kylie Sinn, center, celebrates with teammates Madison Clayton and Rhea Kijowski after scoring a goal Tuesday night against Harbor Creek.
In the Class AA WPIAL playoffs, Waynesburg coasted to a championship, winning 5-0, 7-0 and 4-2. On Tuesday night, in the program’s first-ever PIAA playoff match, nothing changed for the Raiders as Waynesburg defeated Harbor Creek 6-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.
“You’ve got to rewrite the rules as best you can. You don’t expect (a 6-0 state playoff win), but that’s what they told us before the WPIAL playoffs, too,” Waynesburg coach Joe Kijowski said. “We just have to keep playing our game; if we keep playing our game, we’re going to be a really tough out.”
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Rhea Kijowski scores the first goal of the game Tuesday night against Harbor Creek’s Sarah Feathers (25) and Izzy McGill (15).
Rhea Kijowski, who netted a hat-trick in the win, said she wasn’t worried of a first-round letdown after the team won the WPIAL final Saturday for the first time in program history.
“I think that we’re always intense during the game,” Rhea Kijowski said. “I think that we can always get up for a game, coming off a huge win or a small win.”
Waynesburg (20-1) will take on District 5 champion and Bedford (22-0) in the PIAA quarterfinals Saturday. The time and location are to be determined.
Only five minutes into the match against the District 10 runner-up at Seneca Valley, Rhea Kijowski, a freshman forward, started the scoring parade, utilizing her speed to get a good look at the net after a pass from her sister, Jillian Kijowski.
“(Her speed) is God-given. She may have gotten her strength from me, but she certainly didn’t get her speed (from me),” Joe Kijowski said. “She does work on (her speed). The entire team is fast; I’m blessed with a really fast team.”
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Madison Clayton scores a goal Tuesday night against Harbor Creek.
The Harbor Creek defense was disciplined for almost the rest of the first half, holding the Waynesburg offense scoreless for the next 34 minutes. With about 30 seconds left in the half, though, Abby Virgin sent a cross into the penalty box that Madison Clayton kicked out of the air and in for a goal. The goal gave the Raiders a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
“They hung with us. They really prevented a lot of our chances. It took us a while to break through,” Joe Kijowski said. “We just kept working until we broke through. I was really pleased with the effort.”
Eight minutes into the second half, the Raiders took a 3-0 lead after a Clayton shot deflected off Harbor Creek’s goalkeeper and went right to Rhea Kijowski, who scored her second goal of the match.
Harbor Creek would have scored a few minutes later, if not for a great diving save by goalkeeper McKenzie Booth, who tallied eight saves on the night. The shutout is the freshman’s 14th of the season and her third of the postseason.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Waynesburg’s Bailey Fudala tries to evade Harbor Creek defenders Kate Rose, left, and Laurel Prokopchak Tuesday night.
Joe Kijowski said practicing against Waynesburg’s potent offense has forced Booth to improve quickly.
“Booth has grown up a lot over the years. … Practicing against a lot of the shooters we have – we do a lot of shooting in practice – has helped her,” Joe Kijowski said. “You can imagine some of the shots she faces in practice.”
Waynesburg’s three forwards scored the remaining three goals within a span of 10 minutes
Sophomore Kylie Sinn scored off a pass from Clayton. Rhea Kijowski then scored to net a hat trick, with Jillian Kijowski assisting. The goal was Rhea Kijowski’s 11th in only four postseason matches.
Clayton capped off the night’s scoring with 13 minutes left. The Pitt-commit totaled six points, scoring two goals and dishing out two assists.
Waynesburg took 22 shots, 15 of which were on goal, in the blowout.
While Waynesburg is focused on the quarterfinals Saturday, it’s impossible for Joe Kijowski to not think about the historic season his team is having.
“Everything from here is history for us. This is fantastic,” Joe Kijowski said. “I’m just enjoying the ride.”